Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Good fashion sense

I had to ask one of the other teachers today why she clearly had not yet had discussions with her students about acceptable and unacceptable attire. One of her kids was wearing a University of North Carolina sweatshirt. I'm not really sure why UNC gear is so universally popular. Maybe it's because Michael Jordan went there? Or Vince Carter for the younger generation? I'm guessing it's not for love of Ed Cota or Serge Zwikker. But whatever the reason, I used to see kids wearing UNC colors all the time last year and the year before. That was before the district implemented a uniform policy. The blue or khaki slacks with a white polo shirt. The white shirt of course winds up looking like a Twister mat after lunch, with Hot Cheetos stains, fruit juice spills, and nacho cheese flavor-pockets. I've never been like that high school teacher (middle school? Whatever) in Pittsburgh who told his class to throw spitballs at a student wearing a Broncos jersey. No, I've always advocated throwing books instead of wadded up paper. Just kidding. Whenever I have seen a child wearing UNC apparel, I say a silent prayer for the child's soul, but I generally let it go at that. I don't want to scar any kids' psyches here. I remember all too well an incident when I was a child.I'm originally from the DC area, so I was raised to be a Redskins fan. When I was about 7 years old, I was at a bowling alley with my parents, proudly wearing my burgundy Redskins jacket (vintage, man!). I still remember this big guy walking by and saying, "Hey kid! Com'ere and gimme that jacket so I can flush it down the toilet!" If I had been 2 or 3 years older, I might have pointed out to him the finer points of fluid dynamics and plumbing, in order to make him aware that his proposed action was not completely practical. However, as a seven-year-old, I was too concerned with the size, the threat of the statement, and the odd aroma of old bread and raisins arising from this man's personage.To this day, I can proudly say that I have never threatened to flush a child's North Carolina clothes down the toilet. Now Maryland? That's a different story. . .